In 2016, Nederlands Dans Theater thrilled City Center audiences with their flawless technique and audacious vision. This year, the second division of the company—initially founded in 1978 to develop young talent for the main company—kicks-off their US tour in an exciting program of established and new pieces.
The works from their more recent roster explore how the most insignificant moments—a fleeting glance, a cast-off gesture, or an incidental touch—reveal our deepest truths. NDT's associate choreographer Marco Goecke's playful and punky Wir sagen uns Dunkles (2017), underscored by both classical and English alt-rock music, uses the intimate, unspoken language that grows between dancers and choreographer to explore our unconscious communications. And Edward Clug's mutual comfort (2015) draws on his characteristic sharply-defined style to emphasize the contradictions and humor in the dancers' personal experiences, resulting in moments of surprising beauty and connection.
The two other works on the program represent early signposts in the oeuvre of NDT House Choreographers and longtime creative partners Sol León and Paul Lightfoot. Sad Case (1998), created when León was seven months pregnant with her and Lightfoot’s daughter, is emblazoned with earthly movements that pulsate with laughter, madness, and trepidation, set to Mexican mambo music. And SH-BOOM! (1994), inspired by Francisco de Goya’s satirical, black-and-white sketches, masterfully combines irony and humor in an expression of how people from diverse backgrounds interact
